reductants
Electronegativity Differences between Metals and Nonmetals An elements electronegativity provides us with a single value that we can use to characterize the chemistry of an element. Elements with a high electronegativity 2.2 in Figure 7.15 "Pauling Electronegativity Values of the " have very negative affinities and large ionization potentials, so they are generally nonmetals and electrical insulators that tend to gain electrons in chemical reactions i. , they are oxidants . In contrast, elements with a low electronegativity 1.8 have electron affinities that have either positive or small negative values and small ionization potentials, so they are generally metals and good electrical conductors that tend to lose their valence electrons in chemical reactions i. , they are reductants . In between the metals and nonmetals, along the heavy diagonal line running from B to At in Figure 1.24 "The Periodic Table Showing the Elements in Order of Increasing ", is a group of elements with intermediate electronegativities ~2.0 . These are the semimetals, elements that have some of the chemical properties of both nonmetals and metals. The distinction between metals and nonmetals is.